Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Tainted Choices ❯ Manure ( Chapter 14 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Oogieone 
Dogs can't smell very well through chicken manure...Yuki and Tohru running...but not far enough...
Anime/Manga: Fruits Basket Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.07.2007 | Updated On: 03.07.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 480 | Status: Work In Progress
Dogs can't smell very well through chicken manure...Yuki and Tohru running...but not far enough...
Anime/Manga: Fruits Basket Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.07.2007 | Updated On: 03.07.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 480 | Status: Work In Progress
Tainted Choices
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or its characters. They belong to Takaya Natsuki
Chapter 14
Manure
In the forest Yuki and Tohru found a cave. Yuki told Tohru to hide inside and he covered the entrance with some fallen branches. Then he swept the ground where they had walked with a fir bough as he backtracked to Shigure’s house to wait for the inevitable. He knew that Akito could find him wherever he hid. He had found that out the hard way, when one morning he decided to run away from the Honke. He was only nine years old but he was smart and he used all of the tricks he had read from the ninja books in the Honke library. He made it all the way to the mountains and was staying in a remote corner of the woods. One morning, a week after he had left, he heard a rustle in the brush near his lean-to and he went out to investigate. As soon as he poked his head out of the opening a familiar hand reached down and grabbed him by the hair, pulling him out. It was Akito, Kureno, and Hatori. They had found him and they all forced him bodily into the car. When they arrived back at the Honke, Akito had kept him locked up in the Dark Room for weeks. Everyday he would come in and harass and torment him. He told him over and over again that he had the gift to know where any of the Zodiac was at any given time and that Yuki could never run far enough away. “You my be able to find me, Akito! But you will never find Tohru!” Yuki thought with satisfaction as he walked into the house.
Hatori pulled up in front of Shigure’s house and stopped the car. He got out and opened Akito’s door and Akito stepped out and walked briskly to the front door. Hatori hurried behind and rang the bell. Rin! Rin! Hatori could hear Shigure hurry to the door and unlatch the lock. He opened the door and bowed in respect to Akito. Akito nodded at Shigure and pushed past him clearly looking for Tohru.
“Where is Miss Honda? No doubt doing something dirty! Shigure, I told you I would be coming to see her! Why is she nowhere to be found?”
Akito was just about to start screaming when Yuki walked into the room. He was dressed in his best white outfit and his eyes gleamed. Akito didn’t like the spark of almost challenge that glowed in their depths. Where was the fear that used to excite so well? Akito stepped forward and leaned into Yuki caressing his face and said, “Hello, Yuki…I trust you’ve been well? You know you really ought to come back and let me take care of you. That girl doesn’t look like she has been keeping you fed. You appear rather pale.” He drawled almost seductively.
Yuki didn’t seem fazed by this at all and said, “No. I am eating rather well. Miss Honda is quite a good cook.”
Akito was taken aback by his comments and said haughtily, “You dare call me wrong? When I say you look like you haven’t been eating well and you are pale, you do not tell me otherwise!”
Yuki actually starting laughing at the comment and stepped away from Akito saying, “From now on, I am in charge of my own well-being. And if I say I am being fed well, I am. You have no hold over me Akito!”
By this time Shigure had closeted himself in his office and Hatori had stepped outside. They wanted to stay out of the way of Akito’s sure wrath at this unexpected statement. Akito could not believe that Yuki had spoken in such a manner and picked up a coat tree and swung it at him, screaming, “WHAT! Don’t you know I am your GOD! I can do anything I want to you! How dare you use such a tone with me! Let me tell you something, HATORI is Tohru’s rapist! He has impregnated the wench and I am keeping the baby as my own! It can be your replacement! The bitch couldn’t keep her legs closed! Hatori told me she liked it and has even done it with him after she found out! They are lovers, Yuki! She is using you! No one will ever love you like I do!” Akito screamed with malice.
Yuki caught the coat tree in his hand and flung it aside saying, “I know what happened with Hatori. They are not lovers and you may be my God but you can’t control me anymore!” and ran out the back door.
Akito stood there for a moment, very surprised that the Rat had finally stood up to him and then turned around and noticed that Hatori had left the room; he threw aside the door and shouted angrily, “Hatori! We will find the bitch ourselves. Get Shigure and tell him to call the dogs. Maybe they can sniff out one of their own!”
Yuki ran through the woods to the cave where Tohru was hiding. He wasn’t sure what to do. He knew that Shigure’s dogs could track Tohru down. He uncovered the opening and ducked inside. He let his eyes adjust to the dim light in the cave and looked around. Tohru was nowhere to be seen.
Quietly he called out, “Miss Honda? Tohru-kun? Where are you?”
A pile of leaves in the back of the cave rustled and Tohru peeked out slowly. When she saw it was just Yuki she stood up and shook the leaves off of her. A few remained tangled in her hair and Yuki picked them out quickly. Then he took her by the hand and led her out of the cave.
“Yuki-kun? Where are we going? Is Akito gone?” She asked with worry in her eyes.
“No. We have to find somewhere else to hide. Akito is going to have Shigure track you down with dogs and they would sniff you out in an instant if you were to stay in that cave.” Yuki said gravely.
Yuki had a place in mind where she could hide but he wasn’t sure if she would agree to it. He had to admit, it was a disgusting proposition, but he didn’t know anywhere else to go that would hide Tohru’s scent. They rushed through the woods towards a fertilizer yard. The stench was awful. They stopped in front of a huge pile of chicken manure and Yuki turned to Tohru.
“We will have to hide in here if we want to escape Akito. I know the smell is awful, but this is one smell that the dogs will not be able to smell you through.”
Tohru gagged, but she held it in and said, “Okay…I will try.” with a look of repulsion on her face.
Yuki called some of his rat friends to help and quickly they had dug out a tunnel with a larger chamber inside the hill of dung. Tohru and Yuki squeezed through the tunnel into the large chamber and then Yuki had the rats fill in the tunnel leaving a small channel to allow air to get in. It was stifling hot in the chamber and Yuki began to wonder how long they could survive the stink and the heat. Tohru had wrapped her face with a piece of her shirt and sat with her eyes closed, obviously trying not to heave. Yuki couldn’t blame her, but luckily he had a higher tolerance than her. You see, rats do not mind a bad smell here or there, they are kind of used to it. Suddenly he heard a commotion outside and dogs braying.
“Oh no! Yuki they found us!” Tohru whispered in despair.
He held a finger to his mouth to shush her and listened closely. The dogs were moving away from them now. Just as he thought they would, they lost the scent and were now trying to pick it up again and now, covered with chicken manure they would be a hard quarry indeed for Shigure’s hounds to track.
“Okay, Tohru. Hug me.” Yuki said quietly.
Tohru blushed and said, “Now? We are covered in chicken manure…” she said with a confused look on her face.
Yuki chuckled and said, “Yes…but I want to transform so I can go take a peek and see where the dogs are.”
Tohru looked down embarrassed and said meekly, “Oh…sorry…okay.”
And then she hugged him. With a “poof!” Yuki transformed and dug a little tunnel out to the surface. He climbed up to the top of the pile and could see in the distance the dogs. They were about a mile away in the direction of Shigure’s and it was clear that they were befuddled.
Yuki scampered back into the chamber and said, “Okay…the dogs are about a mile away. We will have the rats help dig us out to the far side of this pile and then we will run as fast as we can towards the forest. Hopefully, Akito will tire of this by nightfall and we can return home and make a plan on what to do next.”
Yuki called the rats and they quickly dug the tunnel out to the other side of the pile. Tohru carefully picked up Yuki and held him gently, slung his clothing over her shoulder, and she ran as fast as she could towards the dark forest. They found a stream to clean up in and Yuki turned his back as Tohru removed her clothing and washed them the best she could in the brook. She squeezed them as well as possible and pulled them back on. She shivered as she did so. It was getting dark and cold in the woods. Yuki by that time had transformed back and he also washed his clothing and pulled his pants back on. Leaving his shirt off to dry. They were sure they both still reeked because they had no soap or anything but it was okay because both of them had become used to the smell by now. “Yuki…I don’t think we can go back tonight. It is getting dark and I am freezing.” Tohru said, her teeth chattering as she rubbed her arms.
Yuki nodded and said, “ Yes. I think you are right. We need to find shelter and try to build a fire before you get sick. Sit right here and I will be right back.” He said as he patted a boulder.
Yuki ran off into the darkness and was quickly back with some pine boughs and some long branches. He swiftly put together a lean to and started a small fire. Making sure to choose the driest wood so it would not smoke very much. He also had gathered some blackberries he found along the way. They would have to do for food. Tohru and Yuki crawled inside the lean-to. It would be a tight squeeze, but at least that would help them conserve warmth. They shared the blackberries.
“Mmmmm…those were good Yuki-kun!” Tohru exclaimed after she finished.
“Thanks! I would’ve gotten more, but it seems the birds got to them first!” He said with a smile.
Tohru shifted around uncomfortably when she realized they would have to sleep in the tight space together. Tohru was a little self-conscious because she had never been this close to Yuki alone. She was nervous that she would cause him to transform and squish him in her sleep. That would be horrible.
“Ano…Yuki-kun? What if I cause you to transform and roll over on you while I am sleeping? I don’t want to hurt you.” She said with concern.
Yuki laughed a little and said, “Don’t worry. Hug me and I will sleep on your chest so that I don’t transform back. Then you don’t have to worry about squishing me.”
Tohru’s face immediately turn beet red and Yuki could tell she was very embarrassed. He was a little embarrassed too but it had to be done. And secretly he was glad to be able to embrace her…it was funny that they both be so uncomfortable about hugging each other when they were engaged to be married.
Yuki nodded and then said, “We have to get used to it. We are getting married remember? Anyhow, I don’t mind being hugged by someone as cute as you.” He said smoothly while looking into her eyes.
This caused her to blush even deeper and then Yuki pecked her on the cheek and the embraced her. “Poof!” Tohru picked him up and held him cupped in her palms. She lifted him up to her lips and said quietly, “You have a point there….”
And kissed him on the top of his little furry head and then placed him in her blouse pocket. “Sweet dreams, princess.” Yuki said softly.
“Sweet dreams, little Prince.” Tohru said in reply.
And they drifted off to sleep.
Akito was incensed. Even though he had sent Shigure and his hounds after the wench she had escaped. And now, Yuki was nowhere to be found. Hatori insisted that he return home after he became so upset that his blood pressure was off the charts. When they arrived home Akito had torn apart his room and had cut his own foot in the process. He could not believe that Yuki had betrayed him. He would have to punish the Rat once he came home. He could sense that Yuki was not that far away and he was confident that Shigure would bring them both back soon. He was also sure that when that happened, the little bitch, Tohru, would be sobbing in despair. He had toyed with a variety of different plans for the incubator of his child. Maybe he would lock her up in a room and fatten her up like a pig. Then after she gave birth he might erase all of her memories and throw her out in the street. He was going to keep her around for a while to nursemaid the child but she obviously couldn’t be trusted… there were plenty of Sohma women that would do just as well.
Akito chuckled evilly and said out loud to no one but himself, “I can’t believe she actually thought I would tell her the way to break the curse…as if I even knew.”
Or maybe, she would be amusing to keep around and toy with. Akito walked over to the bed and lay down. This was something that would need to be considered. There certainly were a lot of interesting things that he could do to her. And, he could use her to hurt Yuki and the others over and over again. Maybe that is how he should punish the Rat. It would be interesting to see how Yuki would react if he locked Tohru up with him and tortured the bitch in front of his very eyes. Akito daydreamed for a while about his future plans and drifted into slumber with a big smile on his face.
In the morning, Yuki and Tohru had woken up and cleaned up the campsite quickly. They had to move as fast as possible to escape the dogs Yuki was sure would eventually find them. He was right. Just after noon that day they could hear dogs howling to each other in the distance.
Yuki held out his arm to stop Tohru, “Stop. Listen. Do you hear that? They are surrounding us. We have to hide.”
Tohru was scared and said with her voice trembling, “Where? There is nothing around except trees and undergrowth. They will find us for sure.”
Yuki scanned the area for anything they could hide in or under and he spotted a dead tree leaning against a rock face.
“Come on!” he said and grabbed Tohru’s arm, dragging her over to the log.
Yuki covered the area and the log with the strongest scented juniper he could find and then he hugged Tohru. Causing her to blush, of course. He transformed and climbed up onto Tohru’s shoulder. She walked over to the log and looked in. It was hollow inside and there was enough room for Tohru to wedge herself and the transformed Yuki inside. Then, Yuki called some rats out form the forest to cover her feet with leaves and more juniper boughs. They would have to hope that the dogs wouldn’t be able to smell them. They heard the hounds approaching and as soon as they entered the area they started braying. Yuki knew this was not a good sign because it was a sure bet that the juniper scent had not worked. Tohru could feel wet noses against her legs and she knew they were caught and started crying.
From outside the tree, Shigure could be heard laughing, “ You have to be kidding me! This is really too much!! Come on out you two. You can’t fool my dogs by hiding in a tree and covering yourself with juniper. Although, I am impressed by the chicken manure idea…most ingenious.”
Tohru struggled out of the log and Shigure grabbed her by the wrist firmly. Yuki jumped down and changed back, dressing rapidly.
Tohru looked the Dog in the eyes and said sadly, “Why, Shigure-san? Why did you have to hunt us down?”
Shigure chuckled and said, “ Well, Akito is our God you know. And, I didn’t want to lose our flower out in the wilderness. What were you going to do? Have the baby out here?” Yuki glared at Shigure and said, “Shigure? Since when do you listen to Akito? You know that you only follow Akito’s orders when it suits you!”
Shigure shrugged, “That may be true, but who says this isn’t suiting me?” He said with a smile.
Shigure slung Tohru over his shoulder and proceeded to carry her off towards his house. The dogs harried Yuki behind them all the way back.
“I’m such an idiot, to think I could escape Akito.” Yuki thought to himself as he spiraled into pit of hopelessness.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or its characters. They belong to Takaya Natsuki
Chapter 14
Manure
In the forest Yuki and Tohru found a cave. Yuki told Tohru to hide inside and he covered the entrance with some fallen branches. Then he swept the ground where they had walked with a fir bough as he backtracked to Shigure’s house to wait for the inevitable. He knew that Akito could find him wherever he hid. He had found that out the hard way, when one morning he decided to run away from the Honke. He was only nine years old but he was smart and he used all of the tricks he had read from the ninja books in the Honke library. He made it all the way to the mountains and was staying in a remote corner of the woods. One morning, a week after he had left, he heard a rustle in the brush near his lean-to and he went out to investigate. As soon as he poked his head out of the opening a familiar hand reached down and grabbed him by the hair, pulling him out. It was Akito, Kureno, and Hatori. They had found him and they all forced him bodily into the car. When they arrived back at the Honke, Akito had kept him locked up in the Dark Room for weeks. Everyday he would come in and harass and torment him. He told him over and over again that he had the gift to know where any of the Zodiac was at any given time and that Yuki could never run far enough away. “You my be able to find me, Akito! But you will never find Tohru!” Yuki thought with satisfaction as he walked into the house.
Hatori pulled up in front of Shigure’s house and stopped the car. He got out and opened Akito’s door and Akito stepped out and walked briskly to the front door. Hatori hurried behind and rang the bell. Rin! Rin! Hatori could hear Shigure hurry to the door and unlatch the lock. He opened the door and bowed in respect to Akito. Akito nodded at Shigure and pushed past him clearly looking for Tohru.
“Where is Miss Honda? No doubt doing something dirty! Shigure, I told you I would be coming to see her! Why is she nowhere to be found?”
Akito was just about to start screaming when Yuki walked into the room. He was dressed in his best white outfit and his eyes gleamed. Akito didn’t like the spark of almost challenge that glowed in their depths. Where was the fear that used to excite so well? Akito stepped forward and leaned into Yuki caressing his face and said, “Hello, Yuki…I trust you’ve been well? You know you really ought to come back and let me take care of you. That girl doesn’t look like she has been keeping you fed. You appear rather pale.” He drawled almost seductively.
Yuki didn’t seem fazed by this at all and said, “No. I am eating rather well. Miss Honda is quite a good cook.”
Akito was taken aback by his comments and said haughtily, “You dare call me wrong? When I say you look like you haven’t been eating well and you are pale, you do not tell me otherwise!”
Yuki actually starting laughing at the comment and stepped away from Akito saying, “From now on, I am in charge of my own well-being. And if I say I am being fed well, I am. You have no hold over me Akito!”
By this time Shigure had closeted himself in his office and Hatori had stepped outside. They wanted to stay out of the way of Akito’s sure wrath at this unexpected statement. Akito could not believe that Yuki had spoken in such a manner and picked up a coat tree and swung it at him, screaming, “WHAT! Don’t you know I am your GOD! I can do anything I want to you! How dare you use such a tone with me! Let me tell you something, HATORI is Tohru’s rapist! He has impregnated the wench and I am keeping the baby as my own! It can be your replacement! The bitch couldn’t keep her legs closed! Hatori told me she liked it and has even done it with him after she found out! They are lovers, Yuki! She is using you! No one will ever love you like I do!” Akito screamed with malice.
Yuki caught the coat tree in his hand and flung it aside saying, “I know what happened with Hatori. They are not lovers and you may be my God but you can’t control me anymore!” and ran out the back door.
Akito stood there for a moment, very surprised that the Rat had finally stood up to him and then turned around and noticed that Hatori had left the room; he threw aside the door and shouted angrily, “Hatori! We will find the bitch ourselves. Get Shigure and tell him to call the dogs. Maybe they can sniff out one of their own!”
Yuki ran through the woods to the cave where Tohru was hiding. He wasn’t sure what to do. He knew that Shigure’s dogs could track Tohru down. He uncovered the opening and ducked inside. He let his eyes adjust to the dim light in the cave and looked around. Tohru was nowhere to be seen.
Quietly he called out, “Miss Honda? Tohru-kun? Where are you?”
A pile of leaves in the back of the cave rustled and Tohru peeked out slowly. When she saw it was just Yuki she stood up and shook the leaves off of her. A few remained tangled in her hair and Yuki picked them out quickly. Then he took her by the hand and led her out of the cave.
“Yuki-kun? Where are we going? Is Akito gone?” She asked with worry in her eyes.
“No. We have to find somewhere else to hide. Akito is going to have Shigure track you down with dogs and they would sniff you out in an instant if you were to stay in that cave.” Yuki said gravely.
Yuki had a place in mind where she could hide but he wasn’t sure if she would agree to it. He had to admit, it was a disgusting proposition, but he didn’t know anywhere else to go that would hide Tohru’s scent. They rushed through the woods towards a fertilizer yard. The stench was awful. They stopped in front of a huge pile of chicken manure and Yuki turned to Tohru.
“We will have to hide in here if we want to escape Akito. I know the smell is awful, but this is one smell that the dogs will not be able to smell you through.”
Tohru gagged, but she held it in and said, “Okay…I will try.” with a look of repulsion on her face.
Yuki called some of his rat friends to help and quickly they had dug out a tunnel with a larger chamber inside the hill of dung. Tohru and Yuki squeezed through the tunnel into the large chamber and then Yuki had the rats fill in the tunnel leaving a small channel to allow air to get in. It was stifling hot in the chamber and Yuki began to wonder how long they could survive the stink and the heat. Tohru had wrapped her face with a piece of her shirt and sat with her eyes closed, obviously trying not to heave. Yuki couldn’t blame her, but luckily he had a higher tolerance than her. You see, rats do not mind a bad smell here or there, they are kind of used to it. Suddenly he heard a commotion outside and dogs braying.
“Oh no! Yuki they found us!” Tohru whispered in despair.
He held a finger to his mouth to shush her and listened closely. The dogs were moving away from them now. Just as he thought they would, they lost the scent and were now trying to pick it up again and now, covered with chicken manure they would be a hard quarry indeed for Shigure’s hounds to track.
“Okay, Tohru. Hug me.” Yuki said quietly.
Tohru blushed and said, “Now? We are covered in chicken manure…” she said with a confused look on her face.
Yuki chuckled and said, “Yes…but I want to transform so I can go take a peek and see where the dogs are.”
Tohru looked down embarrassed and said meekly, “Oh…sorry…okay.”
And then she hugged him. With a “poof!” Yuki transformed and dug a little tunnel out to the surface. He climbed up to the top of the pile and could see in the distance the dogs. They were about a mile away in the direction of Shigure’s and it was clear that they were befuddled.
Yuki scampered back into the chamber and said, “Okay…the dogs are about a mile away. We will have the rats help dig us out to the far side of this pile and then we will run as fast as we can towards the forest. Hopefully, Akito will tire of this by nightfall and we can return home and make a plan on what to do next.”
Yuki called the rats and they quickly dug the tunnel out to the other side of the pile. Tohru carefully picked up Yuki and held him gently, slung his clothing over her shoulder, and she ran as fast as she could towards the dark forest. They found a stream to clean up in and Yuki turned his back as Tohru removed her clothing and washed them the best she could in the brook. She squeezed them as well as possible and pulled them back on. She shivered as she did so. It was getting dark and cold in the woods. Yuki by that time had transformed back and he also washed his clothing and pulled his pants back on. Leaving his shirt off to dry. They were sure they both still reeked because they had no soap or anything but it was okay because both of them had become used to the smell by now. “Yuki…I don’t think we can go back tonight. It is getting dark and I am freezing.” Tohru said, her teeth chattering as she rubbed her arms.
Yuki nodded and said, “ Yes. I think you are right. We need to find shelter and try to build a fire before you get sick. Sit right here and I will be right back.” He said as he patted a boulder.
Yuki ran off into the darkness and was quickly back with some pine boughs and some long branches. He swiftly put together a lean to and started a small fire. Making sure to choose the driest wood so it would not smoke very much. He also had gathered some blackberries he found along the way. They would have to do for food. Tohru and Yuki crawled inside the lean-to. It would be a tight squeeze, but at least that would help them conserve warmth. They shared the blackberries.
“Mmmmm…those were good Yuki-kun!” Tohru exclaimed after she finished.
“Thanks! I would’ve gotten more, but it seems the birds got to them first!” He said with a smile.
Tohru shifted around uncomfortably when she realized they would have to sleep in the tight space together. Tohru was a little self-conscious because she had never been this close to Yuki alone. She was nervous that she would cause him to transform and squish him in her sleep. That would be horrible.
“Ano…Yuki-kun? What if I cause you to transform and roll over on you while I am sleeping? I don’t want to hurt you.” She said with concern.
Yuki laughed a little and said, “Don’t worry. Hug me and I will sleep on your chest so that I don’t transform back. Then you don’t have to worry about squishing me.”
Tohru’s face immediately turn beet red and Yuki could tell she was very embarrassed. He was a little embarrassed too but it had to be done. And secretly he was glad to be able to embrace her…it was funny that they both be so uncomfortable about hugging each other when they were engaged to be married.
Yuki nodded and then said, “We have to get used to it. We are getting married remember? Anyhow, I don’t mind being hugged by someone as cute as you.” He said smoothly while looking into her eyes.
This caused her to blush even deeper and then Yuki pecked her on the cheek and the embraced her. “Poof!” Tohru picked him up and held him cupped in her palms. She lifted him up to her lips and said quietly, “You have a point there….”
And kissed him on the top of his little furry head and then placed him in her blouse pocket. “Sweet dreams, princess.” Yuki said softly.
“Sweet dreams, little Prince.” Tohru said in reply.
And they drifted off to sleep.
Akito was incensed. Even though he had sent Shigure and his hounds after the wench she had escaped. And now, Yuki was nowhere to be found. Hatori insisted that he return home after he became so upset that his blood pressure was off the charts. When they arrived home Akito had torn apart his room and had cut his own foot in the process. He could not believe that Yuki had betrayed him. He would have to punish the Rat once he came home. He could sense that Yuki was not that far away and he was confident that Shigure would bring them both back soon. He was also sure that when that happened, the little bitch, Tohru, would be sobbing in despair. He had toyed with a variety of different plans for the incubator of his child. Maybe he would lock her up in a room and fatten her up like a pig. Then after she gave birth he might erase all of her memories and throw her out in the street. He was going to keep her around for a while to nursemaid the child but she obviously couldn’t be trusted… there were plenty of Sohma women that would do just as well.
Akito chuckled evilly and said out loud to no one but himself, “I can’t believe she actually thought I would tell her the way to break the curse…as if I even knew.”
Or maybe, she would be amusing to keep around and toy with. Akito walked over to the bed and lay down. This was something that would need to be considered. There certainly were a lot of interesting things that he could do to her. And, he could use her to hurt Yuki and the others over and over again. Maybe that is how he should punish the Rat. It would be interesting to see how Yuki would react if he locked Tohru up with him and tortured the bitch in front of his very eyes. Akito daydreamed for a while about his future plans and drifted into slumber with a big smile on his face.
In the morning, Yuki and Tohru had woken up and cleaned up the campsite quickly. They had to move as fast as possible to escape the dogs Yuki was sure would eventually find them. He was right. Just after noon that day they could hear dogs howling to each other in the distance.
Yuki held out his arm to stop Tohru, “Stop. Listen. Do you hear that? They are surrounding us. We have to hide.”
Tohru was scared and said with her voice trembling, “Where? There is nothing around except trees and undergrowth. They will find us for sure.”
Yuki scanned the area for anything they could hide in or under and he spotted a dead tree leaning against a rock face.
“Come on!” he said and grabbed Tohru’s arm, dragging her over to the log.
Yuki covered the area and the log with the strongest scented juniper he could find and then he hugged Tohru. Causing her to blush, of course. He transformed and climbed up onto Tohru’s shoulder. She walked over to the log and looked in. It was hollow inside and there was enough room for Tohru to wedge herself and the transformed Yuki inside. Then, Yuki called some rats out form the forest to cover her feet with leaves and more juniper boughs. They would have to hope that the dogs wouldn’t be able to smell them. They heard the hounds approaching and as soon as they entered the area they started braying. Yuki knew this was not a good sign because it was a sure bet that the juniper scent had not worked. Tohru could feel wet noses against her legs and she knew they were caught and started crying.
From outside the tree, Shigure could be heard laughing, “ You have to be kidding me! This is really too much!! Come on out you two. You can’t fool my dogs by hiding in a tree and covering yourself with juniper. Although, I am impressed by the chicken manure idea…most ingenious.”
Tohru struggled out of the log and Shigure grabbed her by the wrist firmly. Yuki jumped down and changed back, dressing rapidly.
Tohru looked the Dog in the eyes and said sadly, “Why, Shigure-san? Why did you have to hunt us down?”
Shigure chuckled and said, “ Well, Akito is our God you know. And, I didn’t want to lose our flower out in the wilderness. What were you going to do? Have the baby out here?” Yuki glared at Shigure and said, “Shigure? Since when do you listen to Akito? You know that you only follow Akito’s orders when it suits you!”
Shigure shrugged, “That may be true, but who says this isn’t suiting me?” He said with a smile.
Shigure slung Tohru over his shoulder and proceeded to carry her off towards his house. The dogs harried Yuki behind them all the way back.
“I’m such an idiot, to think I could escape Akito.” Yuki thought to himself as he spiraled into pit of hopelessness.